FAR WEST TEXAS – Border Patrol agents in Sierra Blanca and Van Horn seized over 500 pounds of marijuana last week, valued on the street of more than $400,000, according to an agency news release.

Agents at the Sierra Blanca immigration checkpoint arrested a U.S Citizen from Kansas attempting to smuggle over 200 pounds of marijuana. The man was driving a pickup with an auxiliary fuel tank in the rear of the truck that was modified to conceal the marijuana. A Border Patrol canine team alerted to the presence of the contraband during a secondary inspection.

The contraband and the man were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Office. The truck was also seized by the Border Patrol.

Meanwhile, Van Horn Border Patrol Agents were on patrol near Lobo when they spotted several suspected smugglers walking in the brush just after midnight. Agents and a Border Patrol canine team located marijuana backpacks in the brush. The individuals carrying the packs ran from the area. Four men were soon apprehended and determined to be Mexican nationals in the country without documentation.

The total amount of marijuana in the packs weighed over 300 pounds, with an estimated street value of $240,000. The marijuana and subjects were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Alpine-Texas office for prosecution and further investigation.